Skype hits back at EU VoIP monitoring agency

US and European Police to get powers to tap Skype calls?

Skype has hit back at the European Union agency responsible for co-ordinating Europe-wide legislation to give police the rights to monitor and record Skype calls.

Suspicious Skype calls could soon be monitored as part of a major crackdown on VoIP abuse across Europe, if recent reports are to be believed.

Eurojust co-ordinates different jurisdictions involving all 27 countries of the European Union.

Eurojust's Joannes Thuy said in a statement this week that the organisation feels that, "Skype' refuses to cooperate with the authorities."

"Skype remains interested in working with Eurojust despite the fact that they chose not to contact us before issuing this inaccurate report," a Skype spokesperson told TechRadar in response to that recent press statement from Eurojust

The American National Security Agency (NSA) is concerned that suspected terrorists are using Skype to make calls without fear of being monitored.

American and European police cannot currently get a court order to enable them to monitor internet calls.

NSA bribes to crack Skype?

Skype said this week in a statement that it works with law enforcement authorities, "where legally and technically possible," and that it has "extensively debriefed Eurojust on our law enforcement program and capabilities."

Eurojust's Joannes Thuy said that they, "will bring investigators from all 27 member states together to find a common approach to this problem," with the objective being to overcome "the technical and judicial obstacles to the interception of Internet telephony systems."

According to recent unsourced reports out of the US, the NSA (National Security Agency) is offering hackers large amounts of money to break Skype's encryption.

"Investigators are convinced that the interception of telephone calls have become an essential tool of the police, who spend millions of euros each year tracking down crime through wiretaps of land lines and mobile phones," Eurojust said.